Kyle Kirkwood won his first oval race in a chaotic 2025 Bommarito 500, outsmarting rivals at Gateway. The Andretti star’s late surge boosts his IndyCar title hopes.
Kyle Kirkwood captured his fifth career NTT IndyCar Series victory — and his third of the 2025 season — in a strategy-heavy, attrition-filled 2025 Bommarito Automotive Group 500, surviving 260 laps of chaos, contact and caution under the lights at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The Andretti Global driver earned his first career oval win, cycling to the front during the final round of green-flag pit stops and holding off Pato O'Ward and Christian Rasmussen by just over half a second at the checkered flag. The win caps off a pivotal weekend for both Kirkwood and the Honda-powered Andretti program, continuing their momentum after a victory in Detroit two weeks prior.
From Controlled Aggression to Calculated Execution
The race began with early fireworks. Polesitter Will Power lost the lead immediately to David Malukas, who made a bold move in Turn 3 on Lap 1 and led the opening 50 circuits. Malukas quickly established himself as the dominant early force, extending his lead by over five seconds before Power struck the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier on Lap 46, bringing out the second caution of the night.
That incident began a cycle of pit stops that shuffled the order. Scott McLaughlin won the race off pit road and held the top spot through a clean middle stint, but missteps on pit lane would later cost him dearly. Both he and Malukas were penalized for improper lane usage during stops under a Lap 131 caution — triggered by a frightening crash between Josef Newgarden and Louis Foster. Foster got loose exiting Turn 4 and slid into Newgarden, whose car flipped and slid upside down along the frontstretch. Both drivers were evaluated and released by INDYCAR medical officials.
Strategy at the Forefront
A pivotal moment came following the Lap 131 incident. McLaughlin and Malukas were relegated three positions each due to infractions, giving Pato O'Ward the lead on the restart. O'Ward would briefly surrender it to Conor Daly on Lap 154 before a cycle of green-flag stops reshuffled the order yet again.
From Laps 190 to 250, the race featured nine lead changes as strategy, fuel windows and clean air came into play:
- Lap 190: O'Ward
- Lap 191: Kirkwood
- Lap 193: VeeKay
- Lap 194: Dixon
- Lap 237: O'Ward
- Lap 238: Ferrucci
- Lap 246: Ericsson
- Lap 248: Ilott
- Lap 250: Rosenqvist
Scott Dixon, who led 43 laps, appeared poised to factor into the outcome until a late pit sequence dropped him to fourth, where he would ultimately finish. Felix Rosenqvist briefly led after passing Callum Ilott with 10 laps remaining, but both drivers were forced to pit shortly after. Kirkwood cycled to the front on Lap 256 and led the final five laps to seal the win.
A Milestone Victory
Kirkwood's win underscored his growing versatility across circuits and solidified his place among the title contenders. While Alex Palou — who finished 8th — still maintains the points lead, Kirkwood's trio of victories has vaulted him into serious championship contention.
Post-race, Andretti Global team manager Rob Edwards praised Kirkwood's growth. "I think what we're seeing now is what those of us that worked with him in INDY NXT always expected," Edwards said. "The difference with Kyle this year is the strength of the group around him."
Kirkwood added, "We were bouncing around a lot between strategies tonight. The call from the stand was exactly what it needed to be. We came in just at the right time. That's what won us the race."
Standout Performers
- Christian Rasmussen earned his first career INDYCAR podium with a composed run from 25th to 3rd, capitalizing on clean pit work and late-race pace.
- Juncos Hollinger Racing's Conor Daly impressed with a run to sixth after leading 36 laps.
- Robert Shwartzman delivered a career-best 10th-place finish, while Callum Ilott and Felix Rosenqvist each led late before fading to 18th and 17th, respectively.
Meanwhile, a rough night for Team Penske saw Power, Newgarden and McLaughlin all suffer setbacks — mechanical or otherwise — resulting in none of the three finishing inside the top 20.
Up Next
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES continues next weekend at Road America, where Kirkwood and the Andretti Global team will look to extend their momentum and continue closing the gap to Palou in the championship standings.
With eight races complete, the 2025 season has shaped up as a duel between two prolific winners — and after tonight, it's clear Kyle Kirkwood is ready to contend on any surface.